"Russia aimed to replace me with Medvedchuk, but I turned those people away," Zelensky said regarding the "Istanbul Agreements."

The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russia proposed to exchange him for the pro-Russian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, presenting ultimatums under the guise of negotiations. The President noted that he rejected all demands and "sent those people away." He made this statement in response to journalists' questions regarding the so-called "Istanbul agreements," writes RBC-Ukraine.

"Some individuals came in the early days of the occupation - some from Ukraine, they arrived with certain documents and handed me an ultimatum from Putin. It was the same letter, with some changes, as in Turkey. They said I had to step down, and they would replace me with pro-Russian Medvedchuk. Therefore, I am no longer president. For me, this is not an issue; our people will vote. I mean, that is not the goal," Zelensky stated.

According to the president, in the early days of the war, representatives from Ukraine came to him with an ultimatum from Putin. This document outlined the conditions that Ukraine was expected to fulfill:

• Recognition of all of Donbas as part of Russia;
• Granting the Russian language official status;
• Amendments to the Constitution for a neutral status for the country;
• Reducing the army to 50,000 military personnel;
• Handing over or destroying all weapons, including artillery.

"Therefore, there were never any negotiations; this is an ultimatum from a killer," Zelensky emphasized.

He mentioned that there were two more attempts to organize negotiations later: first through Belarus, then in Turkey at the initiative of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. However, all attempts ended with new ultimatums being issued.

"Then in Turkey, they wanted to organize it, and President Erdoğan asked me: 'Please, they need to sit down and talk,' to which Zelensky responded: 'Fine, if you want, they can talk.' They came and again presented an ultimatum. Therefore, we cannot say that we had any negotiations since all three times were ultimatums from Putin," the President of Ukraine explained.